Autonomy in Invisible Man




Moving on to the narrator’s life in college, we get an in depth view on what the narrator ‘is supposed to

do’, his path, per se. When he takes Mr. Norton for a drive through some of the lesser known parts of

campus, he receives a sharp correction from Mr. Bledsoe, explicitly telling him to strictly follow the

predefined path. As a result, the narrator is shipped off to New York, under the false promise of a job.

At this point in the story, I would say this is where the narrator’s path ends as far as the college

trustees were concerned. He has been sent across the country, was not supposed to get a good job,

and thus is no longer an issue for the college. When we were discussing whether or not the narrator

getting the job at the paint factory was still ‘on the intended path’, I was skeptical. I believe the college

hoped that sending him off to New York was a permanent solution to their worries, hoping he would

never return or make anything of himself. However, at this point in the story, the narrator gains more

consciousness. He is determined to no longer follow the defined path, but rather make his own path.

This is the biggest turning point in the narrator’s life as yet. So far, this has been mostly unsuccessful,

but his story is not yet over.




The narrator appears to be the minority, or an exception, to the general pattern of perceptualizing

racism as described in the book. It is expected of black people to get sucked into the ultimately futile

path through college and life, and examples of these people can be seen when looking at the Golden

Day: people who, despite having intense experiences and backgrounds, ended up getting stuck at a

point where progress is impossible. As he seems to be a special case, which is fortunate, I am looking

forward to seeing how much more the narrator’s self-awareness develops, and what he becomes. 





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